League of Legends season two ends Oct. 13, $3M up for grabs

League of Legends' second season of competitive play will conclude on October 13 in Los Angeles, with $3,000,000 on the line for winners from across the world and regional championships.

Teams have been competing since last November to qualify for the regional championships, which will be held in locales across the globe starting in July. There'll be one on August 16 at Gamescom, and August 31 at PAX Prime, with more taking place in China, Korea, Taiwan and Singapore. The twelve teams from the regionals will then compete at the University of South California's arena in October.

Last year's championship garnered nearly 1.7 million viewers, with the final match between pan-European team 'FNaticMSI' and France's 'Against All Authority' drawing 210,000 unique viewers.

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Riot Games Announces the League of Legends Season Two World Championship – $3,000,000 on the Line in Regional and World Finals

Championship Competition to Determine World's Best League of Legends Team

LOS ANGELES – May 1, 2012 – Riot Games today announced the League of Legends Season 2 World Championship. The final event of the hit online game's second season of competitive play will conclude October 13, 2012 in Los Angeles, Calif. The prize pool for the World Championship and Regional Finals totals $3,000,000-- the biggest payday in eSports history – and the most lucrative piece of the unprecedented $5,000,000 total prize pool for the entirety of Season 2.

Top League of Legends teams from around the world have been competing to qualify for the League of Legends World Championship in a series of Challenger Circuit events since Season 2 kicked off in November 2011. The next phase will be a series of regional championships to determine the twelve teams which will compete in the World Championship at the University of Southern California's 250,000 square foot arena:

"We've already awarded more than $1,000,000 in prize money to the incredible competitors of League of Legends this season," said Brandon Beck, co-founder and CEO of Riot Games. "It's been humbling to watch the level of competition and the enthusiasm of the live audiences – it's something you really have to see in person."

"I can't wait to see how many fans tune in online for the final matches of Season 2 – we're halfway through the season and we've already seen more than two million live viewers for a single circuit event," said Marc Merrill, co-founder and president of Riot Games. "Just to put that in context, that's a bigger audience than a Major League Baseball game on ESPN – it's incredible to think about."

A video detailing the League of Legends Season Two World Championship can be viewed or embedded here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bdr6jAPkf04

League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena where teams of players compete for dominance, selecting from a growing cast of over 90 uniquely powerful champions.

About Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games was established in 2006 by entrepreneurial gamers who believe that player-focused game development can result in great games. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to critical and player acclaim. Over 11 million play every month. Players form the foundation of our community and it's for them that we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience. For more, visit http://www.riotgames.com/